Benefit Bella Bamba!

I said that Benefit's Bella Bamba blush would be one of my first beauty purchases of 2011. Well, I bought it only two days into 2011. I had to! It's so beautiful, the packaging is lovely and it was just calling my name. Benefit describes Bella Bamba as a "3D brightening pink face powder." My sister said I should have asked them if they had 3D glasses for me to try on with it!

Though this is a new blush color for Benefit, the really interesting part is the new packaging! The older Benefit boxed powders have a lid that slides on and off, but this one has more of a magnetic flap design that flips up and down. There's also a little mirror inside! It's so cute. They have downsized the amount of product that you get. The other boxed powders have either .35 oz or .42 oz of product, but Bella Bamba has .28 oz. I actually prefer the smaller size, it's cute and more compact! What I love about this packaging is that you can pick it up just by the sides of the box without pulling the top off. Does anyone else have this problem with the other Benefit boxed powders? I hate the top sliding off!

They have also significantly improved the brush. Shown on the left is Benefit Coralista's brush, which is similar to all of the other boxed powder brushes. Square, sparse and rough. I use it when I'm traveling but use other brushes most of the time.  Shown on the right is Bella Bamba's brush! It feels thicker and the shape is so much better.

Here's a swatch comparing Coralista (left) to Bella Bamba (right). I've seen some people say that Bella Bamba is what they hoped Coralista would be. They're quite different but both great. You can build them up a ton to get a ton of pigment on your cheeks, or you can use a light touch and add just a hint of color. Since I have such pale skin, I do the latter!  I love both colors. Bella Bamba packs a bunch and gives me a beautiful glow! I was scared to try it but I think it looks great.

What are your favorite blush colors? Will you be getting Bella Bamba? What do you think of the new packaging?